After a brief meditation in the Black Tower, Anser teleported back to the Rock of Bral.
Instead of wearing the Robe of Stars, he changed into the +2 Battle Dress Iris had given him and strapped the Sword of Sharpness to his waist. The outfit made him look clean-cut, dignified, and more like a noble than a spellcaster.
Now that his Strength had entered the extraordinary realm, he had gained an additional attunement slot, which he reserved for the Sword of Sharpness.
Compared to before, the Magic Missile and saving throw bonus provided by the Robe of Stars were no longer as valuable, so he had no choice but to set it aside for the time being.
Dawn was only just breaking, and the Rock of Bral was eerily quiet.
The lights were still on in the small courtyard where Nefis was staying, and he could vaguely make out several figures inside.
The moment Anser spotted the two familiar Iron Golems, he knew Mason had returned.
He spread his dragon wings and flew into the courtyard. Under the silent gaze of the Iron Golems, he entered the room.
The room was crowded. Members of the mage corps and Brunhilde were all present. The atmosphere felt rather strange, but everyone looked fairly relaxed.
"Anser, you're here. Come have something to eat." Nefis gestured for him to sit down and pressed a cup of milk into his hands.
"Ah, thanks." Anser accepted the warm cup of milk, its rich aroma rising into the air.
He glanced at the table. Bread, jerky, cheese, and other food had been laid out, but hardly anyone was eating.
"Any news?" he asked, turning to Mason.
"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Nefis blinked, looking to be in an unusually good mood.
Anser's heart skipped a beat. "The bad news."
"The bad news is that the Church of Selûne was attacked. They suffered heavy casualties, and Evan almost died..." Nefis began explaining.
Among the attackers were Mask's Chosen and Loviatar's Chosen. There were roughly a hundred of them in total, every single one a professional.
They launched a surprise raid in the middle of the night. The Church of Selûne had been on guard, but they hadn't expected the enemy to be so powerful—or to have a legendary warrior fighting alongside them. They were completely overwhelmed.
The attackers had only one objective: kill Evan.
The Archdruid Kristin was at Evan's side and risked her life to hold off the legendary warrior, but after being besieged by two Chosen of the evil gods, Evan was quickly driven to the brink of death.
At the critical moment, a miracle descended.
Not only did Evan survive, but a single spell blasted the two evil Chosen until they were half dead, instantly turning the tide.
After that, the attackers withdrew in full.
The battle had taken place in the Temples District, where most of Evan's allies were already stationed. Reinforcements had arrived by then, and if the attackers had stayed any longer, they wouldn't have been able to escape.
The entire battle lasted only a few minutes. The attackers came without warning and retreated just as decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
By the time Mason and his people arrived, the wounded had already been treated and the defenses rebuilt.
The Magic Research Society wasn't trusted enough to enter, so they could only remain outside. After gathering what information he could, Mason brought the main force back, leaving a few people behind to relay any further news.
"A legendary?" Anser asked in surprise.
"Pretty much confirmed. Someone recognized him," Nefis replied.
Anser had only ever seen liches. He had never met a true legendary professional.
Legendary professionals were exceedingly rare, and most no longer operated within mortal society. They were the equivalent of strategic nuclear weapons—countless people had heard of them, but very few had ever actually seen one.
He fell silent for a long while, the excitement from his recent level-up cooling considerably.
Still, he wasn't all that surprised.
Legendary professionals were the true protagonists of this world, and some Chosen were legendary themselves.
Take the legendary wizard Elminster Aumar, for example. Not only was he one of Mystra's Chosen, but he also possessed an almost immortal lifespan and the mighty power of the Silver Fire.
It was said that Elminster had been given several opportunities to become a god, but had turned them all down, choosing instead to remain a mortal and continue operating throughout the various Wildspace systems.
Anser pulled his thoughts back and pressed, "What about the good news?"
"They ran away!"
"Huh?"
"According to the latest report, Second Prince Emmanuel fled with his people last night."
"Something this big happened, and you're only discovering it now? Didn't anyone pursue them?" Anser ran a hand through his hair in irritation.
"It happened too suddenly. It was the royal guard at the Star Palace who discovered it..." Nefis explained.
After becoming a Chosen, Second Prince Emmanuel had gathered a number of followers and occupied the military fortress in the lower levels of the Rock of Bral. Evan suspected that the fortress most likely contained a large Teleportation Circle.
That might have been how the soldiers from Amn had appeared there.
Now Emmanuel had abruptly departed as well, taking his key personnel and core forces with him without the slightest warning. He had left behind only a few hundred Amnian soldiers as a diversion.
They were all expendable pawns. They surrendered without putting up any resistance and were currently being held under guard by the Star Palace.
"How is that good news?" The corner of Anser's mouth twitched, and he felt somewhat disappointed.
"You really are a warmonger." Nefis covered her smile with her lips. "A Chosen has the protection of a deity, and the enemy also had a legendary professional helping them. If a real battle had broken out, both sides might have suffered heavy losses and allowed someone else to reap the benefits.
"Now the crisis on the Rock of Bral has been resolved without any casualties. Everyone wins."
Anser's expression froze as he thought, 'I'm the one who wanted to reap the benefits!'
If he hadn't gotten anything out of it, didn't that mean he had taken a loss?
He could more or less guess Emmanuel's plan. The longer they delayed, the worse their position would become, so they had launched their surprise attack the moment their key reinforcements arrived.
If they could quickly eliminate Evan, the leader, then the battle between the Chosen would be decided, and the entire situation would swing completely in their favor.
Without a Chosen to serve as their banner, most of the remaining people would likely scatter. Even the Magic Research Society would reassess whether continuing to act was worth the cost.
Emmanuel's night raid had failed, and his withdrawal that same night had probably been part of the plan as well. Even if someone reacted in time, they likely wouldn't have been able to catch him.
After all, this kind of surprise attack only gave them one chance.
Anser believed one of the main reasons the enemy had abandoned the Rock of Bral was that they had realized this was the Church of Selûne's territory.
It wasn't difficult to reach that conclusion. The brilliant column of moonlight that had descended from the heavens last night was proof enough!
The moon itself was right beside Bral—the legendary incarnation of the moon goddess Selûne. How could the goddess possibly stand by and watch her own Chosen get bullied right on her doorstep?
Bane and Loviatar's protection over their Chosen was probably nowhere near as powerful as hers. After Emmanuel had been taught a harsh lesson by a divine miracle, he had no choice but to move elsewhere and start over.
"So clever and decisive," Anser praised aloud, though inwardly he was consumed by the frustration of coming up empty-handed.
He had already built the entire stage, only for the performers to run away.
He had originally planned to trail behind Evan's allied forces and scrape together some experience points.
This was mainly Evan's fault for being so indecisive. The enemy wasn't stupid. Why would they wait for him to gather enough strength before fighting him?
'Come to think of it, I indirectly saved Evan's life!' he complained inwardly.
Had he kept Kristin around to roll in bed with him last night, they definitely would have carried on until midnight. Without the Archdruid there to protect Evan and stall for time, even divine protection might not have been enough to withstand the combined assassination attempt of one legendary professional and two Chosen.
Divine protection did not last very long.
"You should withdraw the bounty later," Nefis suggested.
"Mm." Anser wasn't reluctant to part with the money. He simply knew that Chosen were difficult to kill, and there was no reason to have those adventurers throw their lives away trying.
Many people thought he had placed the bounty on Emmanuel for Evan's sake or for the Rock of Bral. In truth, he really had been after the valuable life of an evil god's Chosen.
He was beginning to believe what that thief had told him. Emmanuel was so cunning that perhaps he really wasn't acquainted with that idiot thief.
'Why are all the villains so smart?' He silently glanced at Brunhilde.
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